The Safety Guidelines of The Duke’s Haunted Castle Chapter 26 - (Illustration)

“…Pardon?”

The sudden request immediately made my expression turn awkward.

Ah, don’t tell me he doesn’t remember anything that happened?

“Um… all of it?”

Edwin narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded.

“If possible, I’d like to hear about his manner of speaking and behavior as well.”

“Ah, okay.”

Well, it wasn’t impossible.

Just as I was trying to remember where to start—

Grrrrowl.

My stomach let out a loud complaint in the heavy silence.

Only then did I remember that I’d even turned down that delicious butter bread for the sake of this meal.

“Um, but… can we talk while we eat?”

No matter what, I couldn’t sit here starving!

As if he sensed my burning determination, Edwin slowly nodded.

“Of course.”

Taking a step back, he added briefly,

“My apologies.”

“N-no, it’s fine.”

Edwin walked over and sat across from me.

Soon after, the head chef personally began serving the dishes.

“This salad captures the freshness of tomatoes harvested just this morning. Thin slices of cheese have been layered with the tomatoes for a refreshing flavor. Please enjoy.”

As if he’d poured his heart into it, the caprese salad was absolutely perfect in both presentation and arrangement.

“Mmm, it’s delicious!”

At my praise, the chef nodded and turned toward Edwin.

But Edwin wasn’t even looking at the carefully prepared salad.

He was staring only at me.

“……”

“……”

“Um… haha… aren’t you going to eat?”

Being the center of attention from a handsome man was nice and all, but this was uncomfortable!

Only then did Edwin lower his gaze.

His eyes, which had looked somewhat weary, widened slightly.

‘Don’t tell me he knew something was wrong with the food?’

Well, as the male lead, it wouldn’t be that strange if he were the only person in the duchy capable of recognizing abnormal food.

Whatever the reason, he still didn’t touch the perfectly normal salad.

“You should eat.”

After hesitating for a while, I finally urged him gently.

“Pardon?”

“Um… I explained this to the ‘bad’ Duke yesterday too, but all of this was made with ingredients we grew ourselves…”

“You grew them yourselves?”

Silence.

He tilted his head as if considering my words before repeating them.

“You cultivated them yourselves.”

“Yes, so…”

Did he simply find it hard to believe?

If so, there wasn’t much I could do.

Before starting my meal, I retold the same story I’d told Edwin the night before.

As I continued, his expression gradually stiffened, only to return to its usual calm state by the time I finished.

“I see. No wonder…”

He was the master of Belmont Castle.

I’d worried he might demand an explanation for tampering with the estate without permission, but thankfully he didn’t seem interested in making an issue of it.

Still, we hadn’t even touched on the most important matter yet.

Staring at the steak that was slowly growing cold, I carefully began.

“Um… I-I have a confession to make.”

His red eyes settled on me.

“I’m kind of… short on money.”

“Pardon?”

“Well… I had to plow fields, buy seeds, purchase chickens and cows, and get cleaning supplies…”

The more I explained, the more nervous I became.

Was this what people meant when they said a guilty conscience gives itself away?

“So… um… I ran out of money. And then…”

My voice grew smaller and smaller.

“So I sold some things.”

“What exactly… did you sell?”

“Things from the castle.”

“Things… from the castle?”

Even his usually calm voice became oddly choppy.

Was he angry?

‘This is all because your castle didn’t have proper supplies prepared in the first place…’

The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but it was probably best to save that as a last resort.

Instead, I offered a rather pitiful explanation.

“I sold the axe that Edwin—well, Your Grace—was attached to. And Excalibur…”

The longer I spoke, the lower my head drooped.

“And there was a defective holy statue in the room, so I sold that too…”

“A holy statue…?”

“Yes…”

At this point, I was basically confessing to theft.

Unable to tell whether there was anger in his voice or not, I squeezed my eyes shut and apologized.

“I’m really sorry. I had no idea they were important. I was just out of money…”

“Hah.”

“…Hah?”

Honestly, if he’d yelled at me, it would’ve been less embarrassing.

When I finally looked up again, Edwin was staring at me with an oddly ambiguous expression.

It almost looked like he was trying not to laugh.

Then he said something completely unexpected.

“…So that’s why he was able to meet you yesterday.”

‘He’ clearly meant the bad Edwin.

Which meant selling the holy statue had allowed him to enter my room.

Come to think of it, hadn’t the item’s description mentioned something about protective magic?

At the same time, a new question occurred to me.

Why had the good Edwin placed a holy statue with protective magic in his fiancée’s room?

“……”

“How in the world…”

He studied me as though I were some fascinating curiosity.

Was he trying to memorize the face of the shameless thief who’d robbed him?

The longer his gaze lingered, the smaller I felt.

“Um… are you very angry?”

The tiny question finally slipped out.

He blinked in apparent surprise before shaking his head.

“No.”

“…No?”

“You didn’t do it for personal gain. You needed money for the sake of this place. If anything, it’s my own failure for not noticing your efforts sooner.”

Huh?

I hadn’t expected to hear that.

This man was showing me this much generosity after I’d stolen and sold his belongings?

I’d been quietly criticizing the game’s flaws in my head, but his unexpected response made my opinion sway once more.

‘Yeah, with AI this good, they’ve done a great job. Fix a few bugs and this game would be perfect!’

Go, Heart-Pounding Destiny Love☆Crush!

“However, I am concerned for your safety.”

“M-my safety?”

“…I believe I need some time to think.”

“Ah… okay… take your time…”

Still bewildered, I suddenly lifted my head.

“Oh, right!”

“…?”

“I actually wanted to ask for your permission for something.”

“What is it?”

Clearing my throat, I continued.

“Would it be alright if I left the castle for a while?”

He narrowed his eyes at me.

“Leave this place?”

Was that really so surprising?

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.

“Um… the chef said the trading company stopped supplying ingredients, so we’re running short on food. I thought I’d investigate.”

As he listened, he frowned.

“That would be difficul—”

The moment he said that—

‘Huh?’

For an instant, it seemed as though his shadow stretched unnaturally across the floor beneath the table.

Without thinking, I turned to look.

And our eyes met.

A pair of glowing red eyes staring at me from within the shadow.

“Huh?”

A grin.

Or maybe a sneer.

The smile looked remarkably similar to Edwin’s from the previous night.

“Good.”